THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, SEPT. 19. The Chief Minister, Mr. A.K. Antony, said
here
on Wednesday that the Adivasis, agitating for land and employment, were
exceeding established norms for agitations.

Talking to presspersons after a Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister
said the
Government was doing the maximum for the Adivasis. However, they had
continued their stir and set up `refugee camps' even in front of his
residence. Their methods exceeded the limits, the Chief Minister said
with
reference to the Adivasis building `relief camps' in front of the
Secretariat also. Their tactics would not be encouraged, he added.
Mr. Antony remarked that even the Opposition was now asking why the
Government was indulging the Adivasis and why it was negotiating with
the
group led by Ms. C.K. Janu alone.

He said all Adivasi organisations would be invited to a conference
proposed
to be convened by him on September 25 to discuss their problems. Apart
from
two representatives from each organisation, the members of the Assembly
Committee on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare would also
be
invited to the conference. The Chief Minister and other Ministers
concerned
will also attend.

The Government, he said, was addressing the problems of the Adivasis on
a
war footing. Yet one section was continuing with its agitation. The
Adivasi
leader, Ms. Janu's statement that the tribals would `cut the
Secretariat
into pieces' was very unwise. They should not think that they could do
anything in the city.

He pointed out that the Cabinet had decided to give four months' free
rations to the Adivasis. The Government was in the process of
identifying
10,000 acres of land from the Aralam and Sugandhagiri projects and the
land
leased to the Plantation Corporation of Kerala, to be distributed to
the
Adivasis.